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Tuesday, 31 March 2015

The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD, has announced that the Government is to acquire the National Monument at Nos. 14-17 Moore Street, Dublin.

The decision will allow for a 1916 Commemorative Centre to be developed at the site.

No. 16 Moore Street was the location of the final council of war of the Leaders of the 1916 Rising and is where the decision to surrender was made. The house at No. 16, together with the surrounding buildings at Nos. 14, 15 and 17, were declared a national monument in 2007.

Making the announcement, Minister Heather Humphreys said: "[The decision] puts an end to the uncertainty surrounding the future of these buildings and ensures that they will be accessible to all who are interested in the history of the 1916 Rising. I hope that this project will be completed during the Centenary Year as a fitting tribute to the leaders of the Easter Rising.”

She advised that she will shortly bring further proposals to Government outlining plans to safeguard and fully restore the buildings, and to create a 1916 Commemorative Centre on the site. The requisite approval under the National Monuments Acts is already in place for the restoration project and the proposed Commemorative Centre.

Today’s decision means that:

the Moore Street national monument will now come into public ownership

the long-term future of this historical landmark is secured

the 1916 Commemorative Centre to be developed on the site will be run as a public facility with access for citizens and visitors alike

the new Commemorative Centre will enhance and complement the 1916 visitor facility currently being developed in the GPO.

Monday, 30 March 2015

The Dublin Correspondent has joined the British Newspaper Archive's line up. The paper – a moderate pro-British Government title that, for a short time had the largest circulation in Ireland – started publication in 1806 as The Correspondent, only adding the 'Dublin' to its name in 1823.

More than 150 editions of the paper have been uploaded, most dating from that year, with just a handful of issues for 1824 and 1825.

There are now 71 Irish titles in the BNA database. They can be accessed via a BNA subscription or as part of FindMyPast's Ireland and World subscription packages.

This latest addition means there are a total of 400 titles in the British Newspaper Archive offering 10,616,161 pages of historical material.

Wednesday 1 April:World War One Ancestors, with Ian Montgomery. Part of the Your Family Tree lunchtime lecture series. Venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. Starts at 1pm. Free but need to book at proni@dcalni.gov.uk or (+44) 028 90 534800.

Wednesday 1 April to 30 May:The Irish at Gallipoli – an exhibition. Drawing on sources from the Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association Archive, the exhibition will give an overview of the campaign and highlight the personal storiesof a number of Irish-born WW1 soldiers who fought in Gallipoli and other 'theatres of war'. Venue: Dublin City Library and Archive, Pearse Street, Dublin 2.

Friday 3 April: The geoarchaeology of County Down's High Crosses and Round Towers, with Ian Meighan. Host: Monuments and Building Record Public Lectures 2015. Venue: Pat Collins Reading Room, Waterman House, 5-33 Hill Street, Belfast BT1 2LA. Free. No need to book early but limited space so arrive early to secure your seat.

Saturday 4 April:One Million Dubliners - film screening to mark the first anniversary of the death of historian, tour guide and good guy Shane MacThomáis. Host: Stoneybatter & Smithfield People's History Project. Venue: The Elbowroom, 32 Brunswick St N, Dublin 7. 4pm. Free, but there will be a collection of donations to Pieta House.

Monday 6 April:The Road to the Rising, a major bank holiday event in Dublin's O'Connell Street and nearby venues. Host: RTE, An Post and Dublin City Council. Full programme explores Ireland on the eve of Revolution, as well as the ideas, people and the socio-economic forces which would shape the events of Easter Week 1916. Re-enactments, memorabilia roadshow, talks, screenings and family fun. Need to book for some events. Programme.

Tuesday 7 April:Remembering 1916: The Urban Folklore Project, with Críostóir Mac Cárthaigh. First of the Dublin City & Irish Folklore series of lunchtime lectures at City Hall. Venue: Council Chamber, Dublin City Hall. 1:05 to 1:50pm. Free. No booking required.

Friday 10 April and Saturday 11 April:Irish Women in the First World War era. Host: Women's History Association of Ireland 2015 Conference. Venue: Maynooth University, Co Kildare. Need to book. Details.

Wednesday, 25 March 2015

The Ulster Historical Foundation (ULF) has added more than 27,000 Church of Ireland records for Counties Antrim and Down to its AncestryIreland database. You can see the details in the table below.

These new baptism, marriage and burial records are from 24 parishes and were transcribed by the ULF's Emeritus Research Director, Dr Brian Trainor. The burial registers contain a wealth of information of use to both the family and local historian and are full of interesting entries. The ULF has provided a useful overview, and the following details:

In Ardkeen's register there was noted the burial entry of Henry Cleland, aged around four months old, in 1823 with a note by the minister that he was “found dead in a field with a letter mentioning his name. Perished from cold and hunger; Coroner's inquest wilful murder.”

Occupations were sometimes recorded, especially if the deceased was in the military or the clergy. Ballyculter burial register occasionally contained the occupation of the deceased, particularly if they were servants. For example, the following men were recorded as :Daniel Kain “Lord Bangor’s man”, William Wilson “gardener to Mr Price” and Roger Wade “steward to Mr Hoey”. This may be the only record of their employment which now exists.

Carrickfergus register contained an entry of the burial in May 1776 of Mr McCracken, “the buckle beggar”. A buckle beggar was someone who performed marriage ceremonies “in a clandestine and irregular manner”.

The history of a local area can also be seen through the Church records. For example one can see in the Blaris (Lisburn) register the arrival of the Duke of Schomberg’s army in September 1689 by the increase of the deceased who were serving in that army. These were not only soldiers, for example in December 1689 John Redbird “master baker to [the] Duke of Schomberg” died and in January 1690 Thomas Mansfield, “one of King William’s bakers” was buried.

The burial records of sailors, fishermen and those who had drowned are found in coastal areas. In Ballyhalbert in January 1864, for example, three men who had been shipwrecked were buried, including John Morrison from Douglas on the Isle of Man. This register also records the burials of two men from the HM Cruiser Bayano which was torpedoed by a German submarine in 1915. Also Donaghadee’s burial register contains an entry for James Conlin, a tide-waiter (customs officer) who was “killed by a fall on the quay” in October 1783.

In the majority of entries the cause of death was not recorded, but unusual incidents were often noted by the minister. For example in Ballyphilip, the death of Patrick Kelly, aged 15 years from Portaferry, in June 1876 is recorded as being from "a fall from a velocipede” (an early bicycle). Carrickfergus CI’s register details the burials of four men in October 1752 who were “killed with the bursting of a cannon” while Magheralin’s records contain an entry for Edward Lunn, an innkeeper who was buried in July 1817; he “died suddenly at Maze races”.

Many of the burial records also contain the name of the father, husband or next of kin of the deceased, providing additional information on each family. Some also record ages at death and, occasionally, occupations.

Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin is launching an app which will allow visitors to access multimedia information on key features of the Cathedral through their mobile devices.

The app uses innovative iBeacon technology, which will automatically illuminate key points of interest on visitors’ mobile devices as they self-guide through the Cathedral. iBeacons are small transmitters, which have been installed at strategic locations within the Cathedral.

Saint Patrick’s Cathedral will be the first fully iBeacon enabled visitor attraction in Ireland and the app has been especially developed for the Cathedral in a partnership with appybeacons.

At the launch later today, Dean Victor Stacey will be joined by Minister of State for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring TD, for a tour of the Cathedral using the new app. Both will be equipped with iPads and big headphones and will navigate between key features of the Cathedral including the famous Saint Patrick statue, the Cathedral’s impressive organ and Jonathan Swift’s grave.

The app provides details of service times, a brief history of the historic building, an audio guide for the buildings, "Cathedral Tales", and videos about Saint Patrick's cathedral. Download the app.

Tuesday, 24 March 2015

An important early 14th-century manuscript produced at St Mary’s Abbey in Dublin has been returned to its city of origin, after 400 years, courtesy of Trinity College Library (TCL).

Lost to the world of scholarship since the 18th century, it has not been in Ireland since the 16th century, and it is the first Irish medieval manuscript to be offered for public sale in over 100 years. TCL is thought to have paid about a quarter of a million euros to secure the purchase.

St Mary's was the wealthiest monastic house in medieval Ireland and important enough to host parliament on many occasions.

TCL intend to digitise the manuscript, as well as use it to promote research and scholarship and popular interest. You can find out more in the 5-minute video below.

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